Chapter 302: Sasuke: Could Naruto Be the Real Genius?!

"Teach according to aptitude." Haneda explained seriously to Naruto while demonstrating the Chidori to Sasuke.

Back then, Naruto learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu simply by following the instructions in a scroll.

To recreate that experience, Haneda had even prepared a replica of the Scroll of Seals specifically for Naruto. If he could, he would've even brought Mizuki along to play the villain—this was "teaching according to aptitude" to the extreme!

But Naruto was far from impressed.

"If you don't want to teach me, just say so! Stupid Haneda-ojisan! You're just favoring Sasuke because he's more talented, aren't you?!"

At this, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk and mock Naruto:

"Dead last, your grades in theory are awful. You're the last in our class. Haneda-ojisan is letting you study in advance to save time and effort when he teaches you later."

Naruto had been hanging out with Sasuke for over a year now and could easily hear the sarcasm in his tone.

Not only did Haneda-ojisan not want to teach him, but even Sasuke acted like it was justified!

Naruto felt utterly looked down upon, in a way he had never felt before.

"Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank. Never underestimate a poor young man!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and repeated a famous quote from My Struggle, a book currently trending in Konoha.

Clutching the Scroll of Seals, he started studying seriously.

Seeing Naruto's sudden determination under Sasuke's taunts, Haneda smiled in satisfaction.

Then, turning back to Sasuke, Haneda continued his demonstration of the Chidori. This time, he slowed down his hand seals significantly, almost taking one second per seal so Sasuke could clearly see and memorize the sequence.

"The Chidori consists of three seals: Ox, Hare, and Monkey."

"It combines both chakra nature transformation and chakra shape transformation. During combat, you'll need to charge toward your target at high speed…"

"For that reason, it works best when paired with the Sharingan, which enhances perception and reaction time."

"But since you haven't awakened your Sharingan yet, I'll first teach you the fundamentals of lightning chakra nature and shape transformation."

"So it needs the Sharingan…" Sasuke murmured to himself. "No wonder niisan wouldn't teach me no matter how much I pestered him…"

Sasuke recalled how Kakashi, back when he was an instructor at the academy, had also mastered the Chidori without initially having the Sharingan.

This proved that the Sharingan wasn't a prerequisite for learning the technique!

Lifting his head with renewed determination, Sasuke declared, "Haneda-ojisan, I mastered tree climbing in just one day! Learning lightning chakra transformation won't take me long either!"

Inwardly, he added to himself: No matter what, I'll definitely be better than that dobe!

Both of us are learning A-rank jutsu, but that idiot Naruto? There's no way he'll figure it out without taking months—maybe even years!

Just as Sasuke was feeling confident, the sound of popping echoed around them.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, thousands of Naruto clones flooded the training ground, cramming every inch of space until it resembled the bustling streets of Konoha's marketplace.

Sasuke froze, wide-eyed, as he took in the overwhelming number of Narutos surrounding him.

Was this a genjutsu?

He slapped himself hard across the face, but the sharp pain told him it was real.

"Hey, Sasuke! This legendary A-rank jutsu, this so-called forbidden technique from the Scroll of Seals—it's nothing special!"

"Look, I read it once and mastered it!"

Thousands of Narutos spoke in unison, their voices reverberating in Sasuke's ears like an unstoppable wave.

Dead last became a genius?!

Could Naruto's talent actually surpass my own?!

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!

Desperate to prove himself, Sasuke turned his attention back to the Chidori. He hastily attempted to replicate the hand seals Haneda had just demonstrated.

If Naruto could master an A-rank jutsu just by reading, there was no way he, Sasuke, couldn't do the same!

"Ox—Hare—Monkey!"

"Chidori!!!"

Sasuke shouted the name of the technique at the top of his lungs.

Under Haneda's watchful gaze—and with thousands of Narutos as an audience—Sasuke's right palm emitted a faint spark of lightning.

But it only flickered a few times before fizzling out entirely.

Sasuke stared blankly at his palm, and then the thousands of Narutos burst into uproarious laughter, all pointing at him.

"Haha! Sasuke, your Chidori is like a baby bird—chirping weakly and running out of energy after a few cries!"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

Having trained Naruto diligently for an entire year, Sasuke couldn't handle this humiliation.

He thought he understood Naruto's abilities well enough to predict his limits.

But could it be that Naruto had been hiding his true talent all along, secretly working hard, only to reveal it now with an astonishing performance?!

"Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank. Never underestimate a poor young man!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, mentally repeating Naruto's earlier words.

He refused to believe it.

With Haneda-ojisan, the strongest shinobi in the world, personally training him, there was no way he couldn't surpass Naruto!

… Wait a second. Haneda-ojisan was personally training Naruto too…

Sasuke suddenly thought of his brother, Itachi, who had also been guided by Haneda. But unlike Naruto, Sasuke had Itachi as his older brother!

A sly grin spread across Sasuke's face.

"Fine, Naruto, you win this time. Haneda-ojisan's tailored teaching methods really are effective."

"But mark my words—I'll master the Chidori too and surpass you!"

Naruto, noticing Sasuke's rare show of humility, offered words of encouragement:

"Sasuke, even though we're rivals, we're also best friends. Our friendship won't disappear. We'll both keep improving as we compete with each other!"

It was the first time Naruto had ever spoken to Sasuke like this, and it left him feeling a little self-conscious. Wanting to ease the moment, he added:

"Haneda-ojisan's teaching methods really are spot-on. You'll definitely master Chidori just like me. I believe in you!"

"But don't think I'll lose to you!"

Sasuke was momentarily stunned by Naruto's words. Turning his head, his grin widened.

"Still the same as always, huh, Naruto?"

"Fine. When I master the Chidori, I'll still be ahead of you, dead last. All you'll see is my back!"

Haneda, who had been observing quietly, initially thought it would take Sasuke a few days to come to terms with Naruto surpassing him.

He hadn't expected Naruto's "talk no jutsu" to work on Sasuke of all people.

Was it because he called him a "best friend"? Haneda mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Just then, Sasuke approached him with fiery determination in his eyes:

"Haneda-ojisan, please teach me the Chidori!"

Looking into Sasuke's eyes, Haneda could see his burning desire to surpass Naruto.

But Sasuke's phrasing left Haneda a little puzzled, prompting him to silently grumble:

"What's with the begging? I wasn't going to hold back on teaching him just because of Naruto…"

…

At Sasuke's insistence, Haneda continued teaching him the Chidori late into the night.

Naruto, ever loyal, stayed by Sasuke's side until he was completely exhausted and ready to go home.

…

The Next Morning.

As Haneda finished preparing breakfast, he readied himself to head to the ninja academy to finalize preparations for that day's labor education class.

But Itachi appeared at his window, his expression apologetic.

"Haneda-ojisan, I'm sorry… Last night, due to an oversight on my part, parts of the inspection around Experimental Farm No. 7 were incomplete. There's a chance some wild animals might have wandered in."

"There are too many students at the ninja academy, and the farm is vast. I'm worried something might go wrong."

"What do you think? Should we delay or cancel today's labor education class?"

…

(To be continued)

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